The eyes are the windows to the soul. Therefore, the application of drugs in ophthalmology has certain specificity. Generally, drug books do not specifically list the application of drugs in ophthalmology. Mastering the uniqueness and characteristics of ophthalmic medication is the foundation of clinical ophthalmology. Below are 12 traditional Chinese medicines for treating wind-related eye diseases.
1. Snake Shed Skin
Effect: Expels wind, relieves itching, and treats corneal opacity.
Application:
(1) Used for glaucoma, cataract, and corneal opacity caused by wind. This herb can expel wind and evil, and unblock the mysterious palace of the eyes. It is often used in combination with Fang Feng and Gou Teng, such as Shen's extinguishing wind decoction.
(2) Used for chronic wind-heat affecting the eyelids, causing eyelid spasms, itching, and severe eye irritation. This herb can expel wind and relieve itching. It is often used in combination with Jing Jie and Chan Tui, such as Pu Ji Wu Tui San.
(3) Used for corneal opacity. It can be combined with Chan Tui and Cao Jue Ming, such as Wu Tui Huan Guang San.
2. Schizonepeta
Effect: Expels wind, stops bleeding, treats sores, and relieves itching.
Application:
(1) Used for eye diseases caused by external wind. This herb can expel wind and evil and is relatively mild in nature. It is often used to treat corneal opacity, photophobia, and excessive tearing caused by wind-cold invasion of the eyes. It is often used in combination with Fang Feng and Qiang Huo, such as Jing Fang Bai Du San. It is also used for pinkeye, ocular herpes, eyelid redness, and conjunctivitis caused by wind-heat, often combined with Lian Qiao and Bo He, such as Yin Qiao San.
(2) This herb can stop bleeding when charred. It is used for various types of eye hemorrhages, such as subconjunctival hemorrhage, retinal hemorrhage, etc. It is often used in combination with Pu Huang and Mo Han Lian, such as Sheng Pu Huang Tang.
(3) Used for sores on the eyelids. It can both expel wind and relieve itching. It is often used in combination with Lian Qiao and Fang Feng, such as Chu Feng Qing Pi Yin.
3. Dahurian Angelica Root
Effect: Expels wind, relieves pain, reduces swelling, and promotes pus drainage.
Application:
(1) Used for headache and eye pain caused by external wind. It is especially suitable for pain in the Yangming meridian (such as pain in the brow ridge, eye socket bone, forehead, etc.). It is often used in combination with Sheng Ma, Ge Gen, such as Sheng Ma Zhi Zhi Ge Tang.
(2) Used for eye diseases caused by wind. If it is wind-cold invasion, with tightness and discomfort in the eyeball, purple-red sclera, and excessive tearing, it is often used in combination with Xi Xin and Qiang Huo, such as Ba Wei Da Fa San. If it is wind-heat causing red and painful eyes, it is often used in combination with Huang Qin, such as Xie Fei Yin.
(3) Used for eyelid sores. It can reduce swelling and relieve pain in the early stages of sores and promote pus drainage in the later stages. It is often used in combination with Jin Yin Hua and Tian Hua Fen, such as Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin.
4. Wind-Expelling and Cold-Dispersing Herbs
Effect: Expels wind and dampness, relieves itching and pain, and dispels stagnation of qi in the head and eyes.
Application:
(1) This herb is widely used for headache, eyelid sores, pinkeye, excessive tearing, acute conjunctivitis, corneal opacity, etc., caused by external wind invasion. It is often used in combination with Jing Jie and Qiang Huo to expel wind and evil, such as Qiang Huo Sheng Feng Tang. If used for wind-heat transformation or eye diseases caused by wind-heat, it is often used in combination with Lian Qiao and Huang Qin to expel wind and clear heat, such as San Re Xiao Du Yin Zi.
(2) Used for eye itching caused by wind invading the eyelids, or severe itching like bugs crawling. It is often used in combination with Jing Jie Sui and Chuan Xiong, such as Qu Feng Yi Zi San.
(3) Used for strabismus caused by wind. This herb can expel wind and regulate the liver meridian. It is often used in combination with Bai Fu Zi, Dan Nan Xing, and Jiang Can to expel wind and phlegm, such as Zheng Rong Tang.
(4) Fang Feng can regulate the liver and kidney meridians, promoting the upward flow of yin essence, nourishing the eye orifices. Many internal eye diseases are caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency, which leads to inability to nourish the eyes. Therefore, Fang Feng is often used as a guiding herb in tonifying liver and kidney to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment.
5. Qiang Huo
Effect: Releases exterior, disperses cold, expels wind, stops tears, relieves dampness, and alleviates pain.
Application:
(1) Used for wind-cold invasion causing cold tears in the wind. It is often used in combination with Fang Feng and Chuan Xiong, such as Chuan Xiong Cha Diao San. It can also be used for constant tearing due to insufficient liver blood caused by liver blood deficiency. It is often combined with Dang Gui and Chuan Xiong, such as Tong Cao San.
(2) Used for wind-cold invasion or dampness causing chills, fever, headache, body aches, shoulder and back pain, etc.
(3) Used to direct meridian flow to the head and eyes. It is often used in combination with Sheng Shu Di Huang, Dang Gui, etc., to treat eye tightness caused by insufficient essence and blood, such as Jing Zhi Xian Zhi San.
(4) Used for raising the yang brightness. It is often combined with Sheng Ma, Chai Hu, Fang Feng, etc., to invigorate and lift the stomach qi. It is used to treat blurred vision, inability to see for a long time, and eye pain caused by spleen deficiency and weak qi, such as Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang.
Modern pharmacological research has shown that Qiang Huo contains flavonoids (mainly kushenol), which can dilate blood vessels, increase blood flow to the brain and coronary arteries, improve microcirculation, and have hypoglycemic effects. Therefore, it is widely used in ischemic eye diseases.
6. Gao Ben
Effect: Expels wind, dispels dampness, disperses cold, and relieves pain.
Application: Used for headache, severe pain on the top of the head, pain radiating to the cheek, and migraines caused by wind-cold. This herb is warm and dispersing in nature, good at reaching the top of the head, and has analgesic properties. It is often used in combination with Chuan Xiong and Bai Zhi, such as Shen Shu San (Prescriptions of the Bureau of Harmonization).
(II) Wind-Expelling and Heat-Clearing Herbs
7. Peppermint
Effect: Disperses wind-heat, clears and benefits the head and eyes.
Application:
(1) Used for eye redness and headache caused by wind-heat invasion or liver meridian wind-heat and liver fire. This herb is light and floating, clearing and benefiting the head and eyes. It is often used in combination with Ju Hua and Sang Ye, such as Sang Ju Yin.
(2) Used for eye swelling and pain caused by liver depression and qi stagnation. This herb can soothe the liver and relieve depression. It is often used in combination with Bai Zhi, Chai Hu, such as Xiao Yao San.
8. Xixin
Effect: Expels wind, dispels cold, relieves pain, and opens the orifices.
Application:
(1) Used for eye redness, swelling, and pain, purple-red sclera, and corneal opacity caused by wind-cold invasion. It is often used in combination with Ma Rong, Gao Ben, such as Si Wei Da Fa San.
(2) Used for glaucoma and green blindness. This herb has a good dispersing effect and can open the mysterious palace of the eyes. It is often added to liver-soothing and wind-extinguishing prescriptions to open the mysterious palace, such as Lu Feng Ling Yang Yin. It is also used for green blindness, often added to liver and kidney tonifying prescriptions to open the orifices, such as Zhi Yang Wan with Xixin and pig spinal cord, which has a good therapeutic effect on green blindness.
9. Ge Gen
Effect: Releases the exterior, relieves muscle tension, relieves fever, and promotes saliva production.
Application:
(1) Used for eye socket pain and forehead pain caused by eye diseases. It is often used in combination with Bai Zhi, Qiang Huo, Chai Hu, etc.
(2) Used for Yangming meridian headache with hot body and thirst. It is often used in combination with Bai Zhi, Sheng Ma, Shi Gao, such as Sheng Ma Zhi Zhi Ge Tang.
(3) Used for invigorating the spleen and stomach, promoting the upsurge of gastric qi. It is often used in combination with Ren Shen, Huang Qi, etc., to treat deficiency of the spleen and stomach, internal eye diseases, tinnitus, or long-term dimness and inability to see.
Modern pharmacological research has shown that Ge Gen contains flavonoid glycosides (mainly puerarin), which can dilate blood vessels, increase cerebral and coronary blood flow, improve microcirculation, and have a sedative effect on the central nervous system. Therefore, it is widely used in ischemic eye diseases.
10. Chrysanthemum
Effect: Dispels wind-heat, clears the liver, and brightens the eyes.
Application:
(1) Used for eye redness, excessive tearing, and headache caused by wind-heat invasion or liver and kidney yin deficiency. It is often used in combination with Gou Qi Zi and Sheng Di Huang to nourish the liver and brighten the eyes, such as Qi Ju Di Huang Wan.
(2) Used for headache, dizziness, eye swelling, and a desire to remove the eyes caused by liver yang hyperactivity. This herb can calm the liver and extinguish wind. It is often used in combination with Long Dan Cao, Bai Shao, Gou Teng, such as Long Dan Xie Gan Tang.
(3) Used for improving vision and treating corneal opacity. It is often used in combination with Ji Li, Chan Tui, such as Ju Hua San (Prescriptions of the Bureau of Harmonization): Bai Ju Hua, Ji Li, Qiang Huo, Mu Zei, Chan Tui.
11. Man Jing Zi
Effect: Expels wind, stops tears, clears and benefits the head and eyes.
Application: Used for wind-heat invasion or liver meridian wind-heat causing excessive tearing, eye redness, swelling, and pain, or accompanied by dizziness, headache, and migraines. This herb is light and floating, can expel wind, and clear and benefit the head and eyes. It is often used in combination with Ju Hua and Ji Li, such as Ji Li San.
12. Chai Hu
Effect: Harmonizes and resolves fever, soothes the liver, and lifts the yang qi.
Application:
(1) Used for Shaoyang syndrome of typhoid fever, with alternating chills and fever, fullness and discomfort in the chest and hypochondria, bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, and dizziness, such as Xiao Chai Hu Tang.
(2) Used for eye swelling, pain, redness, corneal opacity caused by liver depression and qi stagnation. It is often used in combination with Bai Shao, Bo He, such as Xiao Yao San.
(3) Used for eye redness, swelling, pain, corneal opacity, and pupil constriction caused by liver and gallbladder fire. It is often used in combination with Huang Qin, Dan Zhu Ye, such as Long Dan Xie Gan Tang.
(4) Used for sagging upper eyelids due to qi deficiency sinking. This herb can lift and raise the sinking. It is often used in combination with Sheng Ma, Huang Qi, such as Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang.
